Broken Dreams
by Captain Freaking Obvious
Summary: There just like everyone else, who experience things that go through our everyday life: dreaming. But, unfortunately, dreams can lead into such terrifying nightmares. How do they learn to cope with it? They got each each other, to handle this together.
1. Night Terrors

**AN: Hey, how's it going guys…and girls. Don't want to forget LOL! So I'm sorry I haven't been updating lately, I've been really busy for the last couple of weeks (totally not admitting that I'm a slacker as well). For a while now, I wanted to make a couple of stories between two fucking awesome characters-Joel and Ellie (not in a romantic way, people, that shit is fucking gross! OH GOD!) I'm just gonna stop yelling and being bipolar on you bros, I get carried away with it. (I want a cute relationship like that, awww da feels 3) BTW, sorry I couldn't think of a better title, but whatever floats my boat. I had the perfect name for it but I lost it . Ugh…damn brain and my forgetful-ness!  
~For any copyright issues or anything like that, I don't anything that belongs to Naughty Dog~**

* * *

His worst nightmare comes true. Ellie's missing, and no one knows where she could be. Ever since this morning, seeing he nowhere in sight, he'd been running around through the settlement, calling out her name repeatedly.

"Ellie!" Joel screams, "Ellie, where are you?!"

Sweat was starting to drip off of his brow as his heart keeps beating faster and faster. The last place he didn't check was the mess hall. Since Ellie made a couple of friends, she always hangs out with them at the round, in the corner. He ran into the mess hall, thinking Ellie would be there, and wildly open the doors. The people who were at the mess hall turned to face the man, all startled and shocked. He quickly scans the room and saw her friends at the table. All five of them froze from what they were doing and stares at him. Joel quickly walks toward them.

"Have any of you seen Ellie today?" He immediately spat out, with slight hesitation in his voice.

They all looked at each and back at him, either saying no or nodding in response. He sighs in disappointment, leaving him even more worried than before. He quickly turned around and ran out.

"Wait!" A male teen's voice calls out.

As he ran out, he heard Dallace, one of Ellie's guy-friends, calling out for him. He turned around and sees the teen running towards him. The boy's shaggy blond hair hangs over his hazel eyes, hiding the fear in his eyes as he spoke.

"Cody and I saw her this morning", he spoke. "We were both on guard duty and Ellie decides to open the gate and ran off. I asked her where she was going and she said, and I quote, it's none of your goddamn business and if you tell anyone, I'll fucking kick your ass!"

"And you didn't do anything to stop her?" Joel said angrily. He grinds his teeth and his fists tighten until his knuckles turned white.

"She was about to kick my ass!" Dallace exclaimed, pointing a finger at himself. "She may be a girl but she surely can fight like a guy!"

Joel rolls his eyes and rubs them with his thumb and forefinger. "Jesus Crist", was all he mutters and then quickly walked away to find Ellie.

Dallace eyes never left the man until he was out of sight. He sighs and turns around, staring at Cody. Cody just stares, at his shaken-up friend, shaking his head and chuckling. "Dude", Cody chuckles lightly. His ice blue eyes made contact with his hazel ones. "That was pathetic."

"Shut up, you fucking ginger!" Dallace growls. "I don't need to deal with your shit! It's already bad enough to deal with…HIM!" He pointed into the direction where Joel disappeared. "I don't know how Ellie puts up with him all the time." Cody just shrugs at his delirious friend. "Oh, so you really think it's easy to talk to him?"

"Yeah", Cody simply said. "I'm not a pussy like you and I have the balls to talk to him."

"Listen here, you fucking ass-"

"Boys!" Dallace and Cody looked over at the door. They both see their friend Kylee, popping her head around the corner. "Do I need to be involved in your little conversation?" She raised her eyebrow and stares sharply through her dark brown eyes. The two teens stared at her for a moment and then back at each other. They both sighed and returned to the mess hall. "That's what I thought", Kylee smirks. All three of them walked back over to Marcus and Cassie and continued on with their conversation.

* * *

Joel was in the middle of the woods, not far from the settlement. He didn't take very much with him; he only brought his trusty revolver and a couple of shivs. He didn't take Comatose this time because he feels it wasn't necessary. But as he got deeper and deeper into the forest, the sky got more dark and grey. The wind was starting to pick up as he now felt rain drops met with his skin.

"_Dammit, I should've taken the horse with me! But that doesn't matter. I gotta find her…I gotta find her."_

"Ellie!" He screams out. His eyes scan the trees once more, to see if he can find anything that was moving, but there was no luck. He starts to run, his heart beating faster than ever before. He calls her name once more. "Ellie, where are you?!"

He looks all around, now noticing that he's completely lost. He was now starting to run out of breath; he leans against an old, rooting tree, to recollect himself. He was starting to get worried, and scared. _What happens if I can't find her? What if she was taken? What if she's d-"_ He stops thinking about the horrible thoughts. "Now's not the time", he mutters to himself. Once he caught his breath, he continues to look for her.

"Ellie!" He exclaims. He hears a girl's scream for help, far up ahead of him.

"Help!" A young, female voice calls out. "Somebody, help me!"

He recognizes that voice, and he knows who that voice belongs to: Ellie. "Ellie!" He screams out. "Ellie, I'm comin'!"

He runs as fast as he can towards her. He didn't want to lose her; he didn't want to lose another child. He lost someone deeply to him once, and he wasn't going to lose anyone like that that ever again. As he ran, the girl's cries got louder and louder; he was getting closer.

"Ellie!" He screams out once more.

"Joel!" Ellie screams.

He cocks his head to his left, now seeing her struggling to push herself up some kind of ledge or cliff of some sort. "Ellie!" He runs towards her and fell onto his knees in front of her. "I'm here baby! I gotcha!"

"It's about time you showed up!" She screams out. "Now help me up before I fall into the water!" She looks back down at the water. The drop was about a hundred feet, maybe at least two hundred. The waves were violent down below as it was surrounding the jagged rocks down below.

He immediately grabs her left hand tightly and pulls her up with all of his might. He was struggling to pull her up, but that won't stop him. He wasn't to let anyone or anything stop him now, but he heard someone voice screaming out for help as well.

"Help!" A small, innocent voice screams out. "Please, help me!"

Joel's actions froze as he recognizes that voice. A voice that he haven't heard for twenty years. A voice that he doesn't want to hear. It brings so much pain, and even now, it breaks his damaged heart even more to mention her in any way. He closed his eyes tightly, never letting go of Ellie's hand. _Not her. Please. Not her._ He repeated those words over and over again in his head until the voice called out once more.

"Dad!" The innocent voice screams out. "Daddy, please, help me!"

His eyes immediately shot open. He looks over to his right, staring at the figuring struggling to push herself off of the cliff. His brown eyes met the girl's baby blue eyes. It was his baby girl; it was Sarah.

"Sarah!" Joel gasps. "Baby!" His throat starts to close up, calling out to her. "Baby, give me your hand!" He extended his right arm, towards her, and she immediately took it with her right.

He got both of his baby girls, holding on to dear life. He tries his hardest to pull them both up, but to no avail. They were both too heavy, he can't pull them up. Which only means to do the unthinkable, no person should ever go through: he has to let go of one of them. "_No, no, no, don't do this to me! No! Not like this!"_ He stares down at Ellie and Sarah, who were now looking both up at him through their innocent, colorful eyes. He was starting to see tears flowing through his weary eyes.

He first looks at Sarah. Sarah. His daughter. His flesh and blood. The one person that made him became a father only at sixteen. A single father who loves her with all of his heart and would do anything to see his little girl happy. He remembers her giving him his watch on his 28th birthday. The watch was nothing but a simple present from his baby girl, and he loves it. But when the outbreak began a couple hours later, all hell broke loose. At that moment when she died in his arms by that soldier, something changed inside of him forever. The old Joel was gone, and he was never coming back. Her death made him become a violent, cruel monster for the next twenty years. The watch became something more to him after that night; it was the last thing that belonged to Sarah. He was never going to take it off. He was never going to lose it. Never.

Then his eyes fell onto Ellie. Oh, Ellie. He never thought though this hot-headed teenage girl, who has quite a potty mouth, would become so important to him. At first, he wants nothing to deal with the teen; he just sees her as cargo. It was a simple job that he and Tess have to do: take her to the capital building to get their guns back. But since Tess got bit on their journey, her last request was for him to take Ellie to Tommy, who has a connection to the Fireflies. He only did this for her, and ONLY her. He blames her for Tess's death. All he wants to do now is to get rid of the kid. They had a journey together; after all they've been through, they bonded. No matter how hard Joel tried to not to get attached to her, Ellie seems to get closer and closer to him. She was his second chance, not just surviving, but living too. She became more than just cargo, more than just a friend. She wasn't a replacement; she was his second daughter. His baby girl. They bond may not be biological, but their bond with each other overpowered it. That made him smile. He found a spot for her in his heart just like Sarah, and nothing will ever change that between them.

He was starting to lose his grip on the both of them. The girls screamed in terror. He grabs them both and tries one last time to pull them up, but once again no avail. They both looked at him. His face was scrunched up, trying his best not his hot tears stream down his face. He buries his face into the ground, crying and pleading for help but no one came. No was no other option; he has to let go of one of them.

"I'm sorry", he whispers. "I'm so sorry". He lets go of Ellie. He hears her screams until she hits the water. Everything went silent after that and turned black.

* * *

Joel screams out loud and quickly jolts out of his bed. His breathes heavily as sweat was pouring down from his brow, and from head to toe. His brown eyes adjust to the worn out grey covers and dark, navy blue blanket and then adjust eyes to his bedroom. The room was brown, just like the rest of them in their house, and bland. His eyes lay upon the window. It was still night out; the full moon was bright as ever as the stars twinkled around in the midnight sky.

He pulled off his covers and swings his legs over on the right side of the bed. His tired eyes met the brown wall once more for a moment, before sighing and running a hand through his beard.

A door suddenly swung open, startling him just a bit. He cocks his head to his left to see who barge in, it was Ellie. Ellie was startled by his blood, curdling screams and immediately got out of bed and ran to Joel's room. Her reddish-brown hair was still in her signature ponytail. She only wore a long grey thermal and a pair of shorts. Her green eyes met the man, who was shaken up by his horrible nightmare.

"Joel?" She meekly asked. "Are you okay?"

She waited patiently for his response, but only received a deep sigh. She starts to walk towards him; each step she took made a creaking noise beneath her feet. She made it to the bed and climbs up on it. She crawls over to Joel and sits on her knees. She couldn't see his face, just his back. He was taking deep, heavy breaths to control his heart rate.

"Joel?" She asked once more. "Are you okay?" She lays a hand on his right shoulder. He shudders, before taking it and giving it a little squeeze.

"I'm fine, baby girl", he sighs. "It- it's nothin'". He looks at her, over his shoulder, for a moment and let go of her hand. He brought his attention back at wall, all lost in thought.

Ellie noticed his discomfort; she really doesn't know what to do now. She doesn't even know how to comfort him. _"What am I supposed to say to him? It's just a nightmare, just a fucked-up nightmare, you get over it. No. That's too harsh. He'll probably think I'm an asshole for saying it." _She sighs, brushing her bangs behind her ear. _"I don't know what to do. How am I gonna make him feel better? I hate seeing him like this." _

She feels the bed adjust; her eyes brought back to Joel. He looks so much in pain and agony. His head was now buried down into his palms, trying his best to balance his breath. Then, without thought, Ellie wraps both of her arms around his neck and lets her head lean against him.

His head snaps up and looks back at Ellie. He looks into her green eyes; they were sparkling, just like the twinkling stars. His lips formed into a small, faint smile; she smiles at him. He grabs her left forearm and gently squeezes it. He starts to rub his thumb, across the fabric repeatedly; his actions seem to keep him out of his thoughts, for now.

"Was it the same dream again?" Ellie quietly asked.

"No", he responded. "No, it was new one. A horrible one."

She feels so bad for him. She just wants to make him feel better. _"Oh, poor Joel."_ Ellie shuts her eyes and held onto Joel a bit tighter. "Do you want to talk about it?" Her head lifted off of his shoulder to look at him.

He didn't say anything for a moment. "No, it's okay, I'm fine", He looks up at her and looks away once more. "It was just a dream. I'll get over."

She raised her right eyebrow at him. "No", she stated. "I wanna know. You would feel a little bit better if you just let it out."

She continued to stare at him, waiting for his response. He didn't say anything for a moment, only just sat there. Thinking. Still in deep thought about the dream, about everything. He sighs out loud. He turned around to look at her and told her his terrifying nightmare.

After he was done telling the dream, Ellie coax him to lie down and relax. She looks down at him. His eyes starts to flutter shut and begin to breathe steadily. He looks so exhausted, and depressed. She knows that he has been through a lot from the last twenty years, after all he been through_. _It made her wish everything should be the back the way it was: no outbreak, no painful sorrow, no sadness, no everything. She just wishes that everything can be normal again, and to see Joel happy, but she can't. It's the world they live in; there's nothing anyone can do about it.

"Joel?"

"Yeah?"

"If you have another nightmare, don't be afraid to wake me up. I'm always there for you." She smiles down at him, seeing his lips scrunched up into a small smile. She lays down right beside him, staring at him. "And you need to shave. You're starting to look like Bigfoot."

He lightly chuckles. "Is that so?"

She thought about the idea for a moment, turns out she doesn't like the idea what-so-ever. "Do you know what? Nevermind. You would look like a naked bear if you do." She giggles and lets her smile show. He softly laughs; so does she. She turns away from him and get into her comfortable sleeping position. She lets out a relieved sigh and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**AN: OMFG! The first chapter is over 3,000 words long! I feel so accomplished :3! And yes, this is the FIRST chapter; which means the second, or final, chapter will be made! There's gonna be a good reason why I'm rating this story from RATED T to RATED M. You'll see why when you read. Oh boy, it's gonna get dark. And if some of you bros wondering who Comatose is (if you haven't figure it out yet), he's Ellie's horse. She deserves another horse, not since after Callus, and the cruel winter…OH, and thank you so much for reading my oneshot Alive and Breathing (yes, based on the last of us). That really means so much to me! I love you all and brofist, I guess, LOL XD! *brofist***


	2. Darkness Takes Over

**AN: Hey guys, this is the second chapter of Broken Dreams. Do you bros remember why I rated this story RATED M? Let just say there's mild sexual content involved (which is fucked up). I know you bros won't like it, neither do I, so I won't make you read it if you're offended by it (just read after the line break). Also, my chapter titles are misleading; well, that's what I think at least. But you later get why I called it that, LOL! Forgive me, if my story doesn't make any sense or it's confusing (Fluffy-142 has a problem with it :/! Screw you, you hater LOL JK XD). English isn't my best subject, mainly my grammar. My full apologies for that ;) So…yeah, happy reading, I guess.**

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It was nothing but pure darkness. The surrounding was nothing but a cold, cruel place. A place where no one would ever want to be, especially Ellie. Ever since last winter, her life changed after that. Ever since the University, ever since the lodge, and…David….she changed in so many ways. She wasn't the same sarcastic girl that makes stupid puns all the time. She also wasn't the same girl that always has a goofy smile on her face. Everything about her….being young, wild, and innocent…is gone. She became more quiet, and distant; lost in her own mind, in her own world. Tonight…is that night once again.

The scent of smoke met her nose, as it surrounds the air. The crackling, popping sounds met her ears. Everything she'd experience last winter became more recognizable to her, a horrible goddamn memory.

Ellie starts breathing heavily, inhaling the smoke, and groaning in pain. Her eyes fluttered open; her green eyes met the dirty, rotting ceiling that was now covered in flames. She immediately felt sharp pain in her back.

_Oh, fuck. Not again…not again. I've been through enough as it is._

She flips herself over, getting on her hands and knees. She hears groans coming from her left, it was him. He still wasn't dead! Everytime she falls asleep, and dreams of him, he never dies. He won't die unless she makes it happen. She looks straight ahead, seeing the machete under the booth.

_There it is. I just gotta get it, and end this!_

She starts to crawl on her hands and knees towards the booth. Each movement she made was painful. She remembers how bad her bones felt back along the way. It felt so real; she couldn't believe it herself. She groans in pain as her knees met the floor and the sharp pain reaches to her back. This was all too much. She was getting closer and closer to the machete; the feeling of victory and power rose from her as every step she made.

_I'm so close. Just a few more steps before I can g-_

Her thoughts were cut off when somebody kicked her in the side with a lot of force. She fell to the floor; her face met the dirty carpet, inhaling that rotting stench. She shut her eyes tightly and let out a couple puffs of air. She knew who it was; she doesn't have the guts to say his name. It was him. David.

"I knew you have heart", David spat. He was holding his right shoulder, trying to stop the blood flowing down his jacket. "It's okay to give up. There's no shame in it."

She felt him staring down at her, watching every move she made; it made her tenser than before. She ignored the stare, and focus on the task. She got on her elbows; she can no longer crawl on her hands, losing the strength that she had once before. This was all too much. She just wants this fucked-up dream to end. She starts crawling towards the machete; it was getting harder and harder to move but she's able to do it.

_How pathetic can she get? Trying to be a hero. Ha, cute. _He chuckled at her. "Guess not. It's not your style, isn't it?" He kicked her rib cage once more, harder than the last one; it made her fall on the ground once more.

What strength she had left was gone. There was nothing she could do about it; she could only whimper and hiss in pain. She felt him hovering over her; he got on his knees, on top of her, and harshly grabbed her hair and pulled it, seeing the look on her face. Her scared green eyes met his dark evil ones. His eyes weren't the same one when she first met him; his eyes…his eyes were compared to a demon, full of vemon, hatred, and a sick mixture of lust.

"You can try begging", he spat in her face. He made an evil grin, waiting for her answer impatiently.

"Fuck you!" Ellie growled.

David growled in her ear and flipped her over. He pinned her down by her neck; his large, dirty calloused hands tighten around her neck. Sweat starts to drip off of her brow as she struggle to breathe. David hissed and growled; his eyes were darker than ever.

"Do you think you know me, huh?!" He grunts. His violent grip tightens around neck; Ellie starts to chock, her skin turning pail like a ghost. "Let me tell you something, you have no idea what I'm capable of!"

He got closer to her face; she feels his hot breath on her face. It felt like fire, it felt so real. Every detail that she'd remember that cold winter night…she's reliving the horrible moment all over again! But it got worse, than ever before, she felt something hard between her legs. He…he was grinding against her as he's chocking her! She lets out a gasp and tries to slide out from under him.

_No, no, no, no, no, no! No, I'm not gonna let this happen! NOPE!_

She stretched out her right arm, never breaking eye contact, to grab the machete. She tries to grab it, but it wasn't there. Her eyes broke away the spine-chilling contact to look at the misplace machete. It wasn't there! It's gone!

_No! This can't be happening! It was always there! Why isn't it there?! I don't wanna die like this! Not now, not ever!_

"Nice try, little rabbit," David chuckles, "But I outsmarted you this time."

His vice-like grip loosens around her neck. She went to push him off of her, to stab the fucker in his head with her switchblade, but she couldn't move. There's some type of an invisible force, holding her down on the floor. She couldn't speak either; she could only whimper and cry in pain. She was now paralyzed from head to toe; there was nothing she could do about it. The only thing she could do is to shut her eyes and fight back those tears, pleading to wake up.

_Wake up, wake up, wake up! Please, don't do this to me! I just wanna wake up!_

"Oh, Ellie, Ellie, Ellie", he chuckles darkly. His face turns dark; He lean down and got closer to her face. His dark eyes met her scared, closed ones. "You won't be waking up anytime soon."

She turns her head away from him; whimpering and pleading in her head for this to end. David just stared at her quivering form below him. He grins down at her, chuckling under his breath. He has a plan on what he's going to do to her; a truly evil, disgusting idea that would break her more than ever.

His dirty right thumb strokes her neck in lazy circles. Ellie froze; she realizes what's going to happen to her. The sick bastard is going to do the undeniable; he's going to do the sickest thing that no one could ever imagine doing to a little girl. He was going to take the most innocent Ellie held to her name: her virginity.

David leans down toward the girl; his face hovered over her neck, breathing hot air onto her cold skin. Nothing happened, for a moment; Ellie's eyes shot open to see what he was doing. He starts to kiss her neck, tilting his head toward his left to get a better angle. He later starts nipping at her and sucking on her smooth yet bumpy neck; it was starting to turn into a purple color.

"Oh Ellie", David growls in her ear. "We would have something together, you and me. But you gotta ruin it, didn't you?" He sits up to look at her; her eyes were glassy and full of fear. "You're not like other girls. You're loyal and have heart, and that's what make you so special", he comments. He leans down closer to her face. "And I'm gonna show how special you are to me, little rabbit", he growls.

His hand met her right leg and strokes it up and down. She gasps as his dirty, callused hand met her inner thigh; so close to her innocence. The sick bastard just grins evilly and chuckles at the frightened, young girl. The tears are now streaming down her checks.

"Please", she whimpers, "Just stop." She pleads in a hush tone, shaking from head to toe.

He just laughs at her. He enjoyed seeing the fear in her eyes, making her quiver and cry out for help. "Oh, no can do, little rabbit". He bit his bottom lip in lust, ready to do the undeniable to her. His hands met her rim of her jeans. "Just be good for me, and you won't end up like your friend", he chuckles, looking over on his left.

Ellie's looks over to the person he's looking at, and she's horrified who it was. It was Riley, her best friend. Ellie could barely recognize her at all. Riley was just slaughtered; from head to toe, she was all covered in her own blood, wearing hardly anything at all. Her clothes were scattered off of her side. She was nothing but a ripped-up ragdoll. It made Ellie cry louder, more tears streams down her face.

_NO! Not her, not Riley! She didn't do anything to you! You don't know anything about her, you fucking bastard!_

Her eyes went from scared to pure anger. She felt something gripped in her right hand: the machete. She tightens her grip and growls in anger. She thought she was seeing red through her eyes. This gave her the power to move under his grasp and chop the side of his neck. David screams in pain, removing his hands from her to stop the blood flowing from his neck. She pushes him off of her and rolls onto of him. He screams as she slams down the machete down on his skull. By the third swing, he was dead instantly. But that didn't stop Ellie in her path. She growls and swings it down over and over again, even more tears streams down her face, mixing with his spattered all over her face.

_You! Sick! Fucking! Monster! Die! JUST FUCKING DIE!_

She kept doing for a few more minutes before the adrenaline fades away. She pushes herself off of him, dropping the machete on the floor that made a loud clank sound. She crawls away slowly, until her back hits one of the booths. The fire is still spreading throughout the restaurant, everything moving so fast and destroying everything while just stop moving. She breathes in heavily, not a care in the world if the smoke goes through her lungs, staring the body with wide eyes. He stop breathing, he wasn't moving a single muscle; he was dead. He was dead.

She then pulls her knees to her chest and buries her head in her knees. She closed her eyes, shutting herself out of this godforsaken world, leaving her alone in her thoughts. Something wasn't right. Everything about the situation felt off. No one was there to save her. Joel. He wasn't there to save her. She lifted her head at this realization.

_Where is he? Why isn't he here with me? What if something-_

Her thoughts were cut when she saw something moved in the corner of her eye. She froze, not moving a single inch. She was looking at the one and only body lying right in front of her. She waits for a moment to see if it moved but nothing. But all of a sudden, the body moved again. Not only that, the dead body started to groan.

_No…that's impossible. He's dead. I know he is. _

She slowly gets on her hands and knees and quietly crawls over to the figure. The closer she got, the groans got louder. By the time she got to the body, it stopped moving all together. She did the same, seeing of it would do anything. A sigh left her mouth and looks away, thinking if she should leave or not.

Then out of nowhere, the body pounced. It catches her off guard. She screams out loud as she does everything she can to get it off of her but no avail. It grabs her shoulders roughly to look at him. The moment she looks in the man's face, it was David, it was Joel. This Joel wasn't the one that she knew; his face was dark and angry, like a bear ready to eat his prey. And his eyes…they weren't his…they were David's. Those were dark like his; darkness spread across his face.

"Ellie…"Joel's voice came out raspy like a whisper. But the more he said her name, it starts to become louder and more concern.

"Ellie…Ellie!…ELLIE!"

At that moment in time, she wakes up from that horrible dream.

* * *

**AN: Hey bros, I'm sorry I haven't been updating. I have been busy the last couple of weeks, especially busy on the last couple of weekends. Seriously, I went to Hershey Park with my friends and then that week after the trip, I celebrated with a couple of my good friends on my 16****th**** birthday, Debra and Trevor (AKA Deadgirl99 and Fluffy-142). Plus, finals…ugh, I hate them and I'm finally done. YAY! XD LOL. But anyway, to make myself up for the long agonizing wait, I'll extend Broken Dreams to Chapter 3, you're welcome ;) it's gonna be long anyway, I originally was gonna put the other part in Chapter 2 but I want to make it special and less dark and…graphic (if you know what I mean, I seriously barf in my mouth with one part, ugh) Sorry for the wait and thank you bros for the reviews, you kept me going, IDK what I would do without you *brofist* **


	3. A Loving Lullaby

**AN: Hey, how's it going bros? I'm doing mighty fine, thank you. I know, I know, it's summer vacation; I have no excuse to make up for slacking off (which you may or may not know by now). Now…I'm ready and get my creative writing on. Where were we…oh yeah! This is the third and final chapter of Broken Dreams. I thought about making it into a third chapter and I thought "that would be the best idea". Since the last two were either depressing or…some-what graphic (*cough, cough* chapter two *cough, cough*) But I decided to make this chapter more comforting and some-what…peaceful and relaxing (No more of that negative shit in this story, YAY!) Oh, if you notice any mistakes in the chapters (the story in general), I don't check my work. That's why some of the grammar is…off or whatever. Plus, grammar is my weakness as well, sorry for that. But to be honest, I don't give a chapstick. #not_caring #just_go_with_it #yolo_bro LOL XD Ah…I miss you bros so much. So here's the last and final chapter of Broken Dreams. Enjoy. Oh, BTW, I'm changing the rating back to Rated T cuz a friend of mine said the last chapter wasn't...THAT graphic and fucking gross and shit...so, yeah...Happy Reading! :D**

* * *

Ellie's eyes shot open and immediately sits up in the bed. She was breathing heavily as sweat was dripping off of her brow. It took a minute to catch her breath; readjusting her eyes to her surroundings. She was in Joel's bedroom; she was in his room this whole time. After the realization hit her, everything came back to her: the burning restaurant, David, and…and Riley. Everything that happened in the goddamn dream, felt so real.

She feels the cover underneath her skin, which was now wrinkled by her dangerous grasp. She felt her toes wriggling underneath the heavy blanket, which was now kicked off at the edge of the bed. She was paralyzed head to toe. She felt herself quiver; goosebumps were starting to be noticeable, mostly shown on her legs. She looks down, shielding her face away from all of her surroundings. Her eyes were wide open, her face now twitching and scrunching up; she felt like she's going to cry. She closes her eyes, blocking the coming tears and bites her tongue as she starts to make little whimpers. She hates being weak like this, crying in front of people, expected to be love and comfort by someone in their welcome arms. Oh, she's hates being that state; she always does.

She pulls in her knees, close to her chest. She buries her head into them, her bangs now covering up her face. She's breathing in and out deeply, trying to control herself from breaking down.

_This is just a dream, Ellie. Just a mess up dream. It can hurt you in any way, shape or form. It's just…a dream._

Right next to Ellie was her concern companion, Joel, who is now staring at her uneasiness and her state-of-mind. He dealt with kind of stuff before with Sarah. When Sarah was little, she was always scared of going to sleep. Saying 'the scary monster is gonna get me'. He seen her all scared, shaking in fear and crying out for her daddy. He can just see Sarah as a 4-years-old again, clutching on that stupid purple dinosaur close to her chest, sitting on her toddler bed as her baby blue eyes fill with tears, going down across her cheeks. It just made his heart broke, seeing his baby girl like this, all scared and terrified. So when every time Sarah has a nightmare, he takes to his room and lets her sleep with it for the night. It made her feel safe; holding her purple dinosaur in her arms while being protected by her father's embrace. It also comforts him as well, seeing his daughter sleeping peacefully and keep her safe from the monsters just brings a smile to his face.

"Ellie?"

He receives no answer from her, like if she is lost in own world, what-so-ever.

He reaches out to touch her right shoulder, seeing if that would bring out of her trance. "Ellie, are you ok-"

He was cut when Ellie violently smacks him away, not wanting the physical contact she desperately needs. "Don't!" She screams out, full of vemon and emphasis in her voice. She looks so scared and frightened. She looks up at him, full of fear and bit of frustration as she grits her teeth. "Just…don't touch me, okay?"

So he obligated, holding up his arms in defeat. She then looks away, now just staring into space once more. She feels her ponytail becoming loose, getting ready to fall out. She growls in frustration; she pulls out her hair-tie and wraps it around her wrist.

A moment passed by of silence, only just hearing Ellie's deep breathing. This doesn't soothe Joel one bit. He needs to know what happen. He knows about her night terrors that started last winter. Ellie already told him all about it along the way. But, this one…just messed her up. He has never seen her like this before. If she told him what happened, show would feel somewhat better; let go some of that anxiety inside of her. That's why he needs to know. He'll do everything he can to make her feel better.

"Ellie?" He asks softly. "Can you tell me what happen?"

His brown eyes met the girl's figure, waiting patiently for an answer. Unfortunately for him, he receives no answer, which concerns him even more.

"Ellie?"

This time, his voice was more pleading. He just wanted an answer, something… anything! But nothing change. She still remains quiet, continuing to be lost in a trance.

He left out a long deep sigh, rubbing his weary eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He was going to give up.

"I was…" Ellie suddenly spoke out. "I was back…at the restaurant."

His got his full attention back on her. He just sits up and leans against the head-board, crossing his arms and legs. He waited patiently for her answer.

"I woke up flat on the ground, smelling the smoke and ashes around me. It felt so freaking real, dude…" She stops for a moment before continuing. "The fucking bastard wasn't even dead yet. I had to end it. I start to get on all fours to get the machete. I was in so much pain as I crawl toward it but it was my only change of ending it."

She looks over at him as she wraps knees around herself once more. He just gave a faint smile, letting her know that he's there; she try to smile but…she can't. She looks away and then continues her story.

"But…by the time I got there, ready to grab the machete, he was up…and kicked my side…but I didn't give up, I still went to grab it. I was so close but he kicked my side again…At that point, I couldn't move, I was in too much pain…"

The more she told her dream, the more difficult it got. She was now taking deep breaths to keep her calm, stopping herself from whimpering and crying.

"T-then…h-he got on top of me…and flips me over, to face him…his eyes…something about it makes wanna cringe…" She tightens her grip around herself, closing her eyes for a moment to hold back tears from building up in her eyes. "He s-says some…very uncomfortable things to me. Saying to me 'that you have no idea what I'm capable of'…"She inhales and exhales deeply. "And then…and then…"

She tries her best to tell more but…she couldn't. The more she thought about David manipulating her: physically and mentally…and sexually, and bringing up Riley…and what he did to her, was the same thing he was going to do to her…it just made her broke down.

She couldn't hold the feeling inside of her anymore, it was all too much. She looks up at Joel. Her green, doe eyes now fill with tears, streaming down her face. Her bottom lip starts to tremble as she starts to let out little whimpers. At that moment, she crawls over to Joel, who welcomes her with open arms, and cries into him.

Joel pulls her closer to him, moving her onto his lap. He wraps one arm around her body, for warmth and protection; while his other arm, he cradles the back of her head near his chest.

"Shhh…it's okay baby girl" He whispers into her hair. "It's okay. You're safe with me. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you." He tightens his grip around her.

It made Ellie cried louder and made louder, longer whimpers into his chest. Without thought, she wraps her arms around his waist; just like how a child holds a teddy bear, she tightens her grip around him. But he didn't care; he doesn't give a damn if he was crush to death by her vice-like grip. He wants her to let it all out and make her safe and secure as possible.

"I hate him!" She screams into his chest. "I fucking hate him!"

"I know, baby, I know" He felt his voice crack, feeling helpless of trying to calm her down.

He just starts rocking her back and forth, just like a newborn baby. His fingers met her hair; he was starting to massage her hair. It was working. She starts to quite down and lean forward into his movements in her hair. Her tight grip starts to loosen around him.

_Okay, this is good. She seems to calm down when I do this. Thank god, I'm doing something right…God, she's just like Sarah when I do this…_

An idea came to his mind. But there's no way he was going to do it. There is no way! But…he was actually going to do it later but it's the perfect time to do it. He starts humming a familiar tune to her, just like with Sarah back in the day. His humming soothes her; it made her calm down than everything else he had previously tried. But that didn't matter anymore, all it matters now that she's starting to calm down and beginning to relax.

_Who can say where the road goes_

_Where the day flows, only time_

_And who can say if your love grows_

_As your heart chose, only time_

He feels Ellie taking in easy, steady breath. She lays her head against his chest once more, feeling loved and safe by her protector. He was still massaging her hair, it lulled her. He still kept rocking her back and forth, not as much as he did before. It kept him satisfy and puts a smile on his face, so he continued.

_Who can say why your hear sighs_

_As your love flies, only time_

_And who can say why your heart cries _

_When your love lies, only time_

Ellie snuggles into his chest; a faint smile now on her face. Joel kissed the top of her head and continues the rest of the song.

_Who can say when the roads meet_

_That love might be in your heart_

_And who can say when the day sleeps _

_If the night keeps all your heart_

_Night keeps all your heart _

His slowly rock and forth until he stop. Noticing his sleeping baby girl in his arms, all relax and have a smile on her face. He looks down at her, smiling even more behind his scruffy beard.

_Who can say if your love grows_

_As your heart chose_

_Only time_

_And who can say where the road goes_

_Where the day flows, only time_

_Who knows? Only time_

The song was over. Now he's happy. He's happy seeing his baby girl sleeping in peace, scaring all the monsters that roam in her dream. He pulls her down with him, so can be both comfortable on his bed. He grabs the heavy blanket and places it over them both, keeping them both warm and comfortable. He lies down, to make himself comfortable first, then he brought Ellie closer to him. He wraps his strong, loving around her. He brushed her hair back and tucks it behind her ear. He grabs her hand in his larger ones; her hand just simply wraps around his thumb, while he got a good hold of her smaller hand.

"Night, baby girl" He whispers in her ear.

His kissed her forehead, leaving them both with smiles on their faces and have peaceful dreams for the rest of the night.

* * *

**AN: OMG…this chapter…was a freaking masterpiece. It's so freaking loving and emotional. I'll be honest bros, when I wrote this, my heart to break when Ellie tells her terrible dream. But what got to me when I wrote about how comfort her in a fatherly embrace, whispering comforting words to her. That…freaking did it. I seriously stop writing, went to my room, and freaking cry on my bed for 5 minutes. That never happen before, this is the first time this happen. I feel like a train wreck. Bros…it's hard to say but…I don't have a dad. I grew up without one. It's not his fault he died at a young age with my 6-year-old sister (half- blood) and my infant self (yes, that young :/) being left to take care by our mothers (yeah, it's a complicated family tree, IDK my dad's side of the family, they're like strangers to me :/). You bros might think it's stupid but...I have a strange connection to Joel. IDK why but I just do (maybe fill that void of being dad-less my whole fucking life…ugh, yeah) I can't believe I just said to you bros but I just need to write it out or…I might have to go through a freaking mental break-down in just a second or two. Well…move along with the emotional bullshit, I'm actually gonna make a full story. That's right, a full story. Actually 2, if I ever get to it. The two full stories is set before the last of us (around the outbreak of one character from the game, not saying who :P) and after the game. Plus, tons of ONESHOTS! OMFG, I'm so excited XD Ahhhh…I love summer...well, imam gonna go. I love you bros ;) *brofist* Oh, I almost forgot, I song I pick out is called Only Time by Enya (Don't ask me why, I just found the sound under a deviantart painting by jamzeen, I'll be honest, the last of us artwork she made is really good and oh so adorable :3) okay...now I'm gonna go...BYE...BITCH! *brofist***


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